LEGEND OF THE SMOKING STAR
White Grass, the medicine man, lived in Cutbank Valley, between the
homes of Mad Wolf and White Calf. He went by the nickname of “Shorty.”
He was a well-built, active little Indian, neat in dress and
appearance, small in stature and good-natured. He had a prominent upper
lip, sharp features, and a dry and wrinkled face, which, with an air of
keenness, gave him a sly, shrewd look, like an old fox.
He had good standing as a medicine man, because of his knowledge of
ceremonies and his social position. He was skilled in the conducting of
ceremonies and handling of sacred bundles. He helped Mad Wolf, my
Indian father, with his beaver ceremony; and was called in when any of
the family were ill. He had reputation as a doctor and could treat
certain kinds of troubles. His power over disease was believed to have
been given him through supernatural experiences in visions and dreams.
He was somewhat of a mind reader and mesmerist. He knew how to inspire
confidence in his patients, which helped in their recovery. He also
knew signs and omens both good and bad, and could tell people how to
avoid bad luck. He was a great talker and liked to tell stories of the
old days, when his tribe were free to wander and had many chiefs and
medicine men. He spoke deliberately and in a low voice, using his hands
freely in graceful gestures. He said:
“There is an ancient legend about a Smoking Star (Comet), that has been
handed down through many generations. He came down from the sky to help
old women and maidens who were in trouble.
“A camp of two lodges once stood far out on the prairie. In one of them
lived an old man with his wife; and in the other their son-in-law who
was married to their three daughters. The young man was a hunter. He
provided food for both lodges. One evening a herd of buffalo came near.
Early next morning the son-in-law shouted: ‘Get up, old man, we will go
together to drive the buffalo.’ So the old father-in-law went with him
to help in the hunt.
“Now this son-in-law was mean and heartless. He took it easy and made
the old man do the work. He sat still and killed the fat ones, while
his old father-in-law drove them past. But, when the hunt was over and
it was time to cut up the animals, the son-in-law said: ‘Go back to
camp, old man, and tell the women to come out here. Your daughters can
take back any share of the meat there is coming to you; you are too old
to be of any use.’ But he lied, for he did not want the old people to
have anything to eat. That son-in-law kept on doing this every day. He
made the old man go with him and drive the buffalo; but he would not
allow the daughters to share any of the meat with their aged father and
mother. He wanted to starve them.
“Now the youngest of the three daughters was the only one with a kind
heart. She looked after the old people. Every day after the hunt, she
hid a piece of meat under her robe. She carried it to them secretly and
tried to keep them from starving.
“One day the son-in-law called as usual in the early morning: ‘Hurry
up, old man, let us go and run the buffalo.’ They went together and
hunted. As was his custom, the young man sent his father-in-law to
drive the buffalo and do all the hard work, while he himself sat still.
Now it happened that the old man walked alone in a buffalo trail. He
saw a clot of blood which a wounded animal had coughed up. He said to
himself: ‘Here is something we can make into soup.’ But he was afraid
of his son-in-law; so he pretended to stumble and spilled the arrows
from his quiver. Then he picked them up and put in quickly that clot of
blood, placing his arrows on top. But the son-in-law was suspicious and
said:
“‘Old man, what were you doing so long in that buffalo trail? What did
you pick up there?’
“‘I fell and spilled my arrows,’ said he. ‘I was only putting them back
into my quiver.’
“‘Go home and tell the women to come out,’ answered the son-in-law
sharply.
“Then the old man went back to the camp and told his daughters their
husband needed help with the meat. And the son-in-law kept all the food
for himself. He gave nothing to the old people.
“When the old man got back to his own tepee, he said: ‘Old woman, make
the fire ready and the stone pot. To-day we have something to eat.’ And
he took the clot of blood from his quiver. ‘Make haste,’ said he, ‘that
we may eat before our son-in-law comes back.’
“Then his old woman hurried to put the clot of blood into the pot; and,
when the water began to boil, they heard a child crying. It seemed to
come from their pot. They looked in quickly and saw a baby. The old
woman took the pot from the fire and lifted the child up. She said to
her husband: ‘It is a boy baby.’ And he said: ‘Old woman, take him out.
By means of him we shall live.’ So she wrapped up the baby and cared
for him.
“When the son-in-law came home with the meat, he heard a child crying.
He said to his youngest wife: ‘The old woman must have a baby. Go over
to their tepee and see. If it is a boy, I shall kill him; if a girl, I
shall let her live.’
“Now the youngest wife was the only one of the three daughters who
cared for their parents. She went to their tepee and asked: ‘What is
the child? My husband wants to know.’
“And the old man said to her: ‘It is a boy, but you must tell him it is
a girl.’
“So the young wife went back to her husband and said: ‘You will have
another wife; it is a girl baby.’ He was pleased and said:
“‘Take some of these buffalo bones to your mother, that she may make
soup with them and be able to raise the child.’
“But the young wife, on the sly, put some good meat with the bones.
“Now this all happened in the morning; and, when night came, the child
(Smoking Star), kept looking at the lodge-poles and then at the old
man. The old man was wise. He knew now that this child was supernatural
and would help them. He took up the baby and held him first towards the
lodge-pole on the south side of the door. The baby smiled; and they
knew that this was what he wanted. So they held him towards each
lodge-pole in turn, and after each pole the child grew larger. When he
was halfway round the tepee, he was too heavy for the old man to hold;
he stood him on the ground and kept turning him, until he faced the
last lodge-pole on the south side of the door. By this time the child
had grown to be a man.
“He said: ‘I am hungry. Give me to eat.’
“The old woman replied: ‘My son, your brother-in-law over there is
trying to starve us.’
“Then she cooked him the last piece of meat which her youngest daughter
had brought them. The young man said:
“‘I am Smoking Star. I came down from my home in the sky to help you.
And when I have done this, I shall return again to the sky.’
“He went out and made a bow for himself from the rib of a buffalo and
used a tendon for the string. He also made arrows and flints for
arrow-tips. When everything was ready, he asked the old man where they
went to hunt, and said:
“‘We shall start at break of day, before your son-in-law is awake.’
“In the early morning the old man and Smoking Star set out. Before they
had gone far, they killed a fat buffalo cow. Smoking Star hid himself
behind it and told the old man to stand by the carcass and wait.
“That morning the son-in-law came as usual and called for the old man
to come forth to hunt. He said angrily to the old woman: ‘He is late.
It is time we were started.’ When she told him her husband had been
gone a long time, he shouted:
“‘I have a mind to kill you first!’
“Then the old man saw his terrible son-in-law coming. But Smoking Star
said:
“‘Don’t be afraid. Be eating some of the buffalo meat. And when he
comes up you must talk back to him. This will make him so mad he will
try to kill you. But he can’t harm you, for I am here to help you.’
“The son-in-law came near and saw the old man eating beside the carcass
of the buffalo cow. He shouted: ‘Aha! There is no one to keep me from
killing you now!’
“Then the old man mocked him and said after him: ‘Aha! There is no one
to keep me from killing you now!’
“The son-in-law was ready to shoot an arrow and kill him, when Smoking
Star rose suddenly from behind the buffalo. At this the son-in-law was
so frightened, he said: ‘I was only going to shoot in fun.’
“‘Now is the time for me to have fun with you.’ He put an arrow in his
bow and killed the wicked son-in-law.
“Then Smoking Star said to the old man: ‘Take only the best meat from
this carcass, for you are now the owner of your son-in-law’s tepee and
all his possessions. You will have plenty of good meat and robes to
keep you warm.’
“He asked the old man which of his daughters had been kind to him. He
said: ‘The youngest was the only one who gave us food.’ Smoking Star
went to the lodge and told the youngest wife that she must look after
her father and mother. He killed the other two women. He took their
bodies and that of their husband and burned them together in a fire. He
turned over both of the lodges to the old man and the old woman; and
after that they had plenty to eat.
“Smoking Star had finished his work there, so he said: ‘Father, I must
now go on my way.’ He left them and came to another Indian camp, to the
lodge of some old women. They asked him how it happened that he came to
the poor lodge of an old woman, when he could go to lodges where there
were men. Smoking Star said: ‘I am an old woman’s child. I am not
looking for men’s lodges.’
“Then they gave him meat, but it was poor and lean. And Smoking Star
said: ‘Why don’t you give me some fat meat?’ ‘Hush!’ said the old
women. ‘Don’t speak so loud. If the bears hear you, they will kill you.
They always take the choice pieces of meat for themselves. They take
all the good fat and give us only the lean. They live in the big Bear
Tepee in the center of the camp.’
“Smoking Star said, ‘In the morning I shall hunt buffalo.’ He went
through the camp and called to the people:
“‘Go early to the corral, for I shall drive the buffalo over the cliff.
There will be plenty of meat for all. Let every one come.’
“In the morning all the people came forth and saw the corral full of
buffalo. Smoking Star killed the fattest cow and cut it up. He took the
best parts for the old women. Some of it he lay in front of their
tepee, in plain sight, where the bears could see. Soon they came forth
to plunder. A young cub was first. He quickly smelled the meat and ran
to the old women’s tepee and seized the fattest piece. Then Smoking
Star shouted:
“‘Hey there! Young fellow! Go back where you belong. I did not kill
that buffalo for you. The meat belongs to those old women.’
“He cut the young bear across the face with his knife. It ran crying to
its mother and said:
“‘I was only taking a piece of meat when a man yelled at me and cut me
across the face.’
“Then the old she-bear flew into a terrible rage; and the big father
bear said: ‘My son, take us over there. Perhaps that man will try to
cut me across the face.’
“Smoking Star saw the bears coming. He drew his white-rock knife and
ordered them to be off. But they ran at him. The old she-bear came
first and her husband next. Smoking Star stabbed her and then the
he-bear. He killed them both. Then he went to the bear lodge and killed
all the other bears. There were none of them left; and he gave their
big tepee and all of the meat to the poor old women. After that he left
them.
“Then he came to a camp where he saw no young women. Again he went to
an old women’s tepee and asked how it happened. They pointed to a big
Snake Tepee in the middle of the camp. They said:
“‘The snakes have all of our young women. They take them by force and
keep them in their lodge.’
“Smoking Star said: ‘Now you will own everything in that tepee.’ He
walked into the lodge of the snakes and took a seat at the back. Soon
the chief snake began to rattle, to rouse all the other snakes. Smoking
Star took out his white-rock knife and waited. When the chief snake
raised its head in the air, and was ready to strike, Smoking Star cut
off its head. He killed all the other snakes and set the young women
free; he walked through the camp and told the men to go after their
wives.
“Then Smoking Star started again on his travels. He came to a lake
where a terrible water monster lived. He stuck it with his knife and
made it crawl. He jumped on its back and rode it into the water. He
made it swim to the middle of the lake, where the water was deep. He
called upon the Thunder and a big storm came up. The lightning struck
the monster and killed it. The water of the lake was scattered and was
never seen there again. Nor did any one ever find the body of Smoking
Star. He went back to the sky, and became a star. Sometimes we see him
in the southern sky in the evening. It was the Smoking Star who drove
the big snakes and bears from the prairie. Those he let live fled to
the mountains. And now the dogs have separated, after having had their
meal.” (The Indian way of saying—my story-telling is finished.)